"It is a deep new pleasure to come on a poet with the imaginative boldness of Jim Barnes."—James Dickey

Jim Barnes

(1933- )

Though a native Oklahoman of Choctaw/Welsh descent, Jim has always reached across borders with such far-ranging poetry collections as The Fish on Poteau Mountain (1980) and Paris: Poems (1997). Even his autobiography, On Native Ground: Memoirs and Impressions (1997), resonates with universal themes. As the Library Journal notes in its review, his broad sweep extends “From the simplicity of rural Oklahoma in the years surrounding World War II to the lyrical beauty of a villa in the Italian countryside. ”

Jim, who served as Oklahoma’s Poet Laureate from 2009-2010, has also been a mentor to other writers through his work as editor of The Chariton Review.

Related listings: N. Scott Momaday and Joy Harjo

Did You Know...

Jim Barnes points to Winding Stair Mountain and Robbers Cave as two of the most memorable landmarks of his childhood.

Getting Started with Jim Barnes

Selected Works

On Native Ground—Memoirs and Impressions, 1997On a Wing of the Sun—Three Volumes of Poetry, 2001Visiting Picasso, 2007